


no one buys that many flowers if they're not in love with the florist

by midheavenn



Series: the knight and the princess [12]
Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, F/M, Flowers, Fluff, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, IzuAn, Language of Flowers, Love at First Sight, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Romantic Fluff, Slow Burn, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love, both of them are in love and yearn for each other the way a lover would, i'll add tags and characters as this fic goes on!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:29:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29824971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midheavenn/pseuds/midheavenn
Summary: In which a model falls in love with the florist from the shop down the street.
Relationships: Anzu/Sena Izumi (Ensemble Stars!)
Series: the knight and the princess [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1993468
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, people of AO3! I am back and I want to contribute some fluff to the IzuAn tag. I want to both get back into writing fluff and type out this idea I had in the middle of studying for midterms. I actually had a lot of fun thinking up this AU and thought it'd be cute to write something wholesome for IzuAn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this first chapter and introduction to the AU! Izumi works as a model here, and Anzu works as a florist. Both of them are about three years older than they are in (!!). As always I apologize if any characters are OOC, and for any grammar or spelling mistakes, since English is not my first language. Happy reading!

_\--- midheavenn ---_

Izumi pushes the glass door open, feeling the cool morning breeze on his cheek.

He looks up at the sky, seeing a clear, cloudless sunny day ahead.

He just heard the news about Arashi making her debut as a model, and he has no doubt in his mind that she'll be nagging him about getting her something.

He was on his way to meet her now, actually. And he's sure she's not going to like it if he shows up empty handed.

Izumi's gaze drifted to the flower shop across his agency.

Maybe he should just get her a bouquet of flowers? That surely always works.

And girls like flowers, right? He's sure a girl like Arashi would like them.

He lets out a sigh, shoving his hands down his pockets.

 _What the hell, might as well rather than not bringing Naru-kun anything_ , he thought to himself.

The model stops in front of the front display, running his fingers over the sinfully beautiful petals and feeling them under the pads of his fingers.

“These are pretty.” he mutters to himself.

Unbeknownst to him, a florist has been watching him and approached him.

“I'm glad you think so, sir. What can I help you with?” a feminine voice said.

Izumi looks up and sees a brunette standing in front of him, and any coherent thought of his suddenly evaporated.

The girl standing in front of him reminded him of the flowers he was touching.

Soft, gentle, and something so entrancing and timeless about them.

Her straight brown hair was swept over her shoulders, her bangs framing her face beautifully.

Her eyes were a beautiful ocean color, irises he could easily get lost in.

His lips slightly parted at the sight of her.

She puts all the flowers in the shop combined to absolute shame.

Izumi averted his gaze back to the flowers and clears his throat.

“Uh, what flowers would fit congratulating someone on their work?” he started, desperately trying to look at anything but the girl in front of him.

“Ah. Work, you say? If you don't mind me asking, this person who you're giving it to, what do they work as?” she asked, in a voice almost too soft for his comfort.

Izumi tries not to get flustered at the sound of her voice. “She, uh, is a model and she recently made her debut.”

She looks up at him and a smile graced her features.

Izumi was sure he would die from cardiac arrest.

“Is that so? Tell her my congratulations as well, then.” she told him, laughing slightly.

“Oh. Sure.”

He wanted to punch himself in the face for that one.

The girl shuffled in front of him as she readied her hands. “Do you know any specific flower she might like?”

“Not really. I’m sure she’ll like anything.”

She hums and picked a few flowers, before wrapping it neatly with some paper and tying it with a ribbon.

“Here you go, a bouquet of irises and yellow daffodils. Perfect for congratulating someone on their new job.”

 _Irises mean accomplishment and admiration, and yellow daffodils mean new beginnings,_ he easily recalled.

“Thank you. And how much will that be?”

“That’ll be 800¥.”

Izumi handed her the money and took the bouquet from her.

“Thanks for your help, uh…”

She laughs slightly, the smile on her face ever brightening.

“Anzu. You can just call me Anzu.” she tells him.

Izumi smiles, hoping he doesn’t look to relieved to learn her name. He is glad he has a name to match that face to, though.

“Thanks a lot for your help, Anzu. I’ll see you around.”

With one last wave and thankful nod, Izumi turns on his heel and left the flower shop.

He slowly lets out a breath, hoping that will calm his heartbeat a little.

Izumi looks down at the bouquet he’s holding.

He’s sure he’ll visit the shop far more often now.

~

Anzu watches the stranger’s retreating figure, sighing quietly.

Her sigh didn’t go unnoticed by her coworker, though.

“Why so down, Anzu?” he teased with a smile.

Anzu shot him a playful glare and shakes her head, “Just go back to work, Ritsu-kun.”

The raven haired male didn’t seem fazed, instead he pressed for her thoughts.

“Why didn’t you ask for his name, Anzu? Didn’t you say he was handsome?”

“Even if he is, he’s just a customer, Ritsu-kun. And if he’s not placing an order, I don’t need to know his name.” she replied in a straightforward tone.

His crimson eyes narrowed in amusement as his lips curled into a thin smile.

“He asked for your name, though, didn’t he?”

Anzu freezes at that for a second, but her answer to that question was easy.

She sighs, before answering, “Even so, I’m sure he’ll forget it immediately.”

The girl gives him one last withering glare.

“Now get back to work, the shop isn’t gonna sweep itself, is it?”

Ritsu rolls his eyes at that, but obliged just to get Anzu off his back.

He feels himself smile a little.

Something tells him the handsome customer won’t forget Anzu so easily.

~

“These are gorgeous, Izumi-chan!” Arashi complimented, thumbing the flower petals in awe.

“I’m glad you think so.” Izumi coolly replied, stirring his tea.

“Did you pick it out yourself?” the blonde asked him.

He hums, “The florist at the shop helped me out. She has good taste, I would’ve picked out the same thing she did.”

Arashi’s eyes lit up in recognition when he mentioned the flower shop.

“Oh, did you mean Anzu-chan? She _does_ have really good taste in flowers, and her arrangements are always so beautiful!”

Izumi looks up in surprise, raising his eyebrows.

“You know her?”

“She helped me out when I wanted to give Mika-chan flowers for the opening of his tailor shop.”

Arashi rested her chin on her hand, smiling teasingly.

“Well, you seem _awfully_ interested in her, Izumi-chan. Why is that?”

Izumi made a face at her question and turned away from her.

“It’s none of your business, Naru-kun.”

She kept quiet, but she knows one thing for sure.

Anzu just found herself one _very_ loyal customer.

_\--- Ch 1 end ---_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are highly appreciated! Thanks a lot for reading! <3  
> Follow me on my Twitter! @midheavenn_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... am really in love with Izumi here. Watch me make myself fall in love with florist Anzu as well. I'm very much in love with the both of them. As you can see, my brainrot is very strong to the point of me updating two days in a row. I had ideas and time to continue this, so I did. As always, I apologize if any characters are OOC, and for any grammar or spelling mistakes, since English is not my first language. Happy reading!

_\--- midheavenn ---_

“Izumi-chan, do you want to come with me to the flower shop?”

Izumi looks up and raised his eyebrow at the blonde standing in front of him.

“Haa? And why would I come with you? You can buy the flowers yourself.” he replies coldly.

Arashi sighs at her friend’s answer. She knows Izumi well enough to expect an answer like this, which is why she’s not backing down. Not when she’s so sure about his interest with a certain florist.

“Come _on,_ Izumi-chan. You have good taste in flowers and you know their meanings, wouldn’t it be useful to have you come with me?” she tries again.

It’d be so easy for Arashi to mention Anzu, but she’ll hold back on that.

Izumi clicks his tongue in annoyance. “Aren’t that what florists are for? Didn’t you say Anzu has good taste too? She can help you, you don’t need me.”

She smiles a little. So he _does_ remember her.

“Didn’t you say something about getting Makoto-chan a gift for landing a job as the front cover of a magazine? Wouldn’t it be nice to get him flowers as well?”

It doesn’t seem like Izumi will budge on this subject. “I already got him something, Naru-kun. I don’t need to give him something like flowers when I have a gift prepared.”

Arashi is _this_ close to mentioning Anzu for the sake of him coming with her.

Well, she supposes what she’s going to say about Anzu isn’t a _complete_ lie…

Anzu never really said anything about her thoughts on Izumi, but the interest is definitely there.

“Will you just come with me for Anzu-chan? She said she saw your ad the other day.”

Izumi’s eyes widened at that. He looks genuinely surprised.

 _Sorry, Anzu-chan. You’re going to have to think fast for this one,_ Arashi thought.

After a moment of consideration, Izumi clicked his tongue as he got up from his seat.

“Fine, since you want me to come with you so bad. Might as well get some flowers for Yuu-kun while I’m there.” he finally says.

Arashi was a bit baffled at how quickly he changed his mind now that she mentioned Anzu.

Not that she minds, really. She finds it cute that her two friends are unknowingly playing into her own hands.

As Izumi was about to walk out, he turns and gives her a glare.

“Come on, Naru-kun. We don’t have all day.”

Arashi huffs and catches up to him.

~

Anzu quietly taps her fingers against the counter, closing her eyes as she feels the wind gently caress her cheek.

The shop hasn’t gotten that many customers since this morning, so she told Ritsu that she’ll take care of everything and will wake him up when she needs him.

She didn’t really mind, to be honest. She likes how serene and peaceful she feels when she’s in the shop by herself, just surrounded by the quiet atmosphere and the flowers.

She heard the door open and a familiar figure walks in.

Her eyes shot open and she smiled when she sees who it is.

“ _Onee-chan,_ it’s nice seeing you-”

Anzu visibly froze when she sees another figure walking behind Arashi.

The person had black square aviator sunglasses on, but Anzu recognized him either way.

Really, he was so beautiful, it’s honestly unfair.

His hair was effortlessly styled into looking windswept, and his clothes made him look casual, but still keeping the professionalism and class for work.

She swallows and decides to focus on Arashi instead.

“What can I help you with, _Onee-chan?_ ” she asks.

Arashi beams back at Anzu.

“I have a _very_ special request, Anzu-chan. Do you mind if we talk privately for a little?” the model starts, lowering her voice,

Anzu blinks, a bit confused at her request. “Oh, not at all.”

The blonde smiles and turns to Izumi, “Izumi-chan, wait here for a second, okay? I want to talk to Anzu-chan about something.”

Izumi raises a hand and waves it dismissively, clearly not minding much as he was paying a lot of attention to the flowers on display.

Anzu leads Arashi to her usual spot behind the counter.

“Anzu-chan, didn’t you say you wanted to know more about him the other day?”

The brunette’s eyebrows furrowed as she looked down.

“I did, _onee-chan,_ but I didn’t mean it like this!”

Arashi tries to calm her down a little. “I didn’t bring him here just for that! He also wanted to get some flowers. A _kouhai_ of his got a pretty big job recently, and he wanted to congratulate him for that. But since you said you were curious about him, so I brought him for that too.”

Anzu still didn’t seem too keen on the idea, but she sighs and nods.

“I see. Thanks either way, _onee-chan._ ”

The both of them went back to the flower display and Anzu got herself ready.

“So, _onee-chan,_ what flowers are you looking for? Giving them to someone?” she asks.

Arashi hums, “No, I’m just replacing the flowers at my apartment. What do you think will suit me, Anzu-chan?”

Anzu picks up a bundle of light pink flowers and hands it to Arashi.

“How about these valerians, _onee-chan?_ They’re in season and they have a sweet scent.”

Arashi sniffs the flowers and smiled.

“They smell amazing, Anzu-chan! I’ll take them.”

Anzu smiles at Arashi before turning to Izumi.

“And what about you, uh…”

Izumi furrows his eyebrows and scowled a little, which scared Anzu off a bit, but Arashi quickly tells him, “Izumi-chan, introduce yourself.”

_Oh. That’s what I’m supposed to do?_

“Izumi Sena. We met a few days ago, but I didn’t get to tell you my name.”

Anzu smiled at him and nodded.

“That’s alright, Sena-san. I saw your ad yesterday, you looked really good. What can I help you with?”

Instead of answering, Izumi shifted his gaze from Anzu back to the flowers.

He raised a hand to lower his glasses, revealing a brilliant shade of cerulean blue irises, and long curled lashes. He had the clearest blue eyes Anzu had ever seen, one rivaling the hue of the sky on a summer day.

The wind brushed through his bangs, locks of grey hair resembling the color of a raincloud, perfectly styled and framing his face, making him look even more ethereal and not of this world.

“Do you…” His voice jarred her back to reality.

“Do you have any carnations in stock?”

Anzu brushed a lock of hair behind her ear before she moved to where the carnations are.

“We do, actually. Do you have any specific color in mind?”

Izumi contemplated his answer for a moment, and Anzu can’t help but admire him again.

His outfit was fairly simple, a black turtleneck tucked into black jeans, layered with a tawny brown overcoat, and a simple silver necklace hangs around the collar of his turtleneck.

“White and light red.” he finally answered.

 _Pure love and good luck, as well as admiration,_ Anzu lists internally.

Based on how he took his time answering, she was sure he knows the meaning of the flowers.

“Why not just pick white and pink, Izumi-chan? It’ll be far prettier.” Arashi chimes in.

He sighs exasperatedly. “Pink carnations mean fondness, but they’re usually more associated with motherly love, Naru-kun. White carnations mean good luck, it can also mean pure love. While light red carnations represent admiration.”

That explanation completely confirms Anzu’s guess of him knowing the meanings.

“You know the language of flowers, Sena-san?” she asked him, amused that there’s a customer quite knowledgeable about it.

“Huh? Yeah, I do. My grandma taught me.” he answers, looking away from her when he said the last sentence.

“Ah.” was her only response, since he clearly didn’t want to elaborate more on the subject.

Anzu’s hands moved swiftly to arrange the carnations for him, wrapping it in brown paper and tying it all together with a soft red ribbon before handing it to Izumi.

She goes back behind the counter, readying the cash register.

“For _onee-chan,_ that’ll be 650¥, and for Sena-san that’ll be 720¥.”

Both of them paid for each of their bouquets, before Arashi smiles again at Anzu, her violet eyes filled with gratitude.

“Thanks a lot for your help, Anzu-chan. This’ll be perfect for my apartment.”

Anzu laughs and returns the smile. “It was my pleasure, _onee-chan._ ”

“Thanks again, Anzu.” Izumi quipped.

She nodded in response, “It was no trouble at all.”

While Arashi was still talking to Anzu, Izumi stepped away from the two of them and pushed the door open, waving at Arashi and Anzu.

“I’ve gotta get going. I have a meeting in a bit. Thanks, Anzu, Naru-kun. I’ll see you two.”

Just before he walked out, Anzu calls out to him.

“Come back whenever, Sena-san.”

Arashi held in a laugh when she heard Anzu say that.

She’s sure Izumi will come back soon.

_\--- Ch 2 end ---_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are highly appreciated! If you made it this far, thanks a lot for reading!  
> Follow me on my Twitter! @midheavenn_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brainrot so strong. In da brain there is IzuAn. I'm really enjoying writing this AU, and I keep thinking about it, so enjoy my frequent updates for now. As always, I apologize if any characters are OOC, and for any grammar or spelling mistakes, since English is not my first language. Happy reading!

_\--- midheavenn ---_

Anzu has been seeing quite a strange sight lately.

She tries not to overthink it or look into things too much, but she can’t help but feel that way.

For the past two weeks, Izumi has walked by the flower shop far more often, and would say a quick hello.

Sometimes, when he has time, she’s guessing, he even stops and looks at the flowers.

And every single time he does, he will always buy flowers.

He stops and buys a bouquet of flowers once a week.

Today is another one of those days, since he’s here, stopping in front of the flower shop.

Usually, he would give her a quick nod or even a wave, but she’s sure he’s here to buy flowers again.

She leaves her spot behind the counter and approaches him.

“Good afternoon, Sena-san. Come here to buy flowers again?” she asks him.

Izumi looks a tiny bit surprised to see her, but quickly covered it up and nodded.

For some reason, his voice was hesitant as he replied, “Yeah, my mom is asking me to buy another bouquet.”

Anzu’s eyebrows furrowed as a slight frown made its way to her face.

“Again? Flowers are supposed to last for nearly two weeks, Sena-san.”

He sighs and shakes his head at that. “I know. I’ve tried telling her how to make them last longer, but somehow, they don’t last as long as they’re supposed to under her care.”

The girl puts a hand on her chin, as she ponders it for a moment.

“Is it possible that the problem is on the flowers themselves, Sena-san?” she started. “Because if so, I can-”

His eyes widened and Izumi visibly panics at her words.

“It’s not!” he quickly interrupts, raising his voice slightly.

Anzu blinks at his sudden outburst.

The tips of his ears turned pink, clearly embarrassed, but he lets out another sigh, this one more exasperated.

“It’s not, trust me. I know good flowers when I see them. And the ones from this shop are definitely good.” he tells her.

He continues, “The flowers are fine, I just need to help my mom a little more. She’s slowly getting the hang of it.”

Anzu hesitantly smiles at that. “If you say so, Sena-san. Tell me if there’s a problem.”

He nods, and his eyes go back to the flower display, slowly examining each type sold in the shop.

“Did she say anything she want in particular, Sena-san?” she asks, following Izumi as he moved from one display to another.

He hums lowly before replying, “No, not really. She usually leaves these kinds of things to me.”

Anzu laughs quietly after hearing his answer, which got his attention.

“You seem to know quite a lot about flowers, Sena-san. It’s not often I meet someone my age with this much knowledge and interest in flowers.” she admits, fidgeting with the fabric of her pants as she did so.

It was true, usually people would just as her for recommendations and leave everything to her. Or they would buy the flowers with more well-known meanings. So having someone be quite particular in their choice of flowers brings her a bit of happiness.

The model huffs and smiles a little. “Can’t say you’re wrong. People sometimes look at me weird when I tell them the meanings of flowers and how they can be interpreted. My grandmother used to grow a lot of flowers, and whenever I come to visit, she would always tell me about them and their meanings. So that’s how I know a lot.”

Anzu smiles and nods at his story, letting him go back to his thoughts.

That’s another thing she notices about his recent visits.

He’s starting to talk to her more, and would occasionally tell her anecdotes about his coworkers or friends.

A figure that frequently shows up in his stories is someone named ‘Leo-kun’, and Anzu can’t help but be curious as to what kind of person he is, because from what she knows of him, he definitely seems interesting. Although Izumi would always say, “I wouldn’t consider him to be the _good_ kind of interesting.”

She doesn’t really understand why, but she would always feel giddy and an absurd amount of satisfaction whenever he tells her something about his life. It feels like the rift between them is getting smaller and smaller, and something about that pleases her.

Izumi Sena really is interesting. And she wants to learn more about him.

Anzu follows his eyes and notices that he’s been eyeing the hydrangeas for some time now.

After contemplating for a second, she decided to ask him about it.

“Are you thinking of picking the hydrangeas, Sena-san?”

He nods slowly. “I think so. The purple ones look really fresh, especially.”

Anzu picks up the flowers, her fingertips grazing the soft petals.

“You know, Sena-san, purple hydrangeas mean you want to have a deeper understanding of someone, and is often chosen as the gift for fourth wedding anniversaries.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Fourth? Isn’t that a little too late into the marriage to say you want to have a deeper understanding of someone?” he asks, his tone playful.

She laughs at his joke and shrugs as she wraps the flowers up for him.

“I don’t know. Even so, it’s always good to understand your partner even more, right? Especially if it’s someone you’re spending the rest of your life with.” she continues.

Izumi didn’t respond to that, but it didn’t seem like he was mad with her answer. It looks more like he’s thinking about it.

“I guess so. There are some things your partner would keep from you even after getting married, I suppose.”

She nods in agreement at his words, handing him the neatly wrapped bouquet.

“That’ll be 680¥.”

He pays for the flowers and smiles at her.

“Thanks a lot, Anzu.”

She returns his smile with one of her own. “I’ll see you in a week, Sena-san.”

Izumi scoffs slightly at her jab at his weekly visits.

“Hopefully that can change soon. But for now, likewise. I’ll see you in a week, Anzu.”

With one last wave, he leaves the shop, and Anzu watches his retreating figure with a slight smile.

“So… a deeper understanding of someone, huh?” a lazy voice teases.

Anzu rolled her eyes, unfazed by the cheeky grin Ritsu is giving her.

“Don’t eavesdrop on conversations, Ritsu-kun. Especially not ones with our customers.” she chided gently.

“Eh~ You seemed like you were having so~ much fun talking with that Izumi Sena guy, I can’t help but be curious, you know~” he drawled again.

She didn’t pay any mind to his words, and simply tidied around the shop.

If she’s being completely honest, though, she did want to have a deeper understanding of him.

Maybe that’s why she brought up the flower’s meaning in the first place.

~

Izumi puts the fresh hydrangeas into his vase, its purple color complimenting the colors of the flowers he’s bought from Anzu in the past two weeks.

Under his care, the flowers can last up to more than two weeks.

The vase was looking _really_ full now.

He looks at the arrangement for a moment, before groaning quietly and pinching the bridge of his nose.

Was he being too obvious with the purple hydrangeas? Or was he being too subtle?

He can’t believe he’s simply lying to her about the flowers being for his mom, when all of them are beautifully arranged in a vase in his apartment.

Definitely not for his mom.

He thinks about her words of coming by each week and how flowers were supposed to last for about two weeks.

Is he visiting her shop too frequently? Should he stop for a while?

The flowers he’s bought from her all carry some sort of romantic meaning, and he wonders if he was being too obvious.

He doesn’t _think_ he is, and she never brings it up either.

But doesn’t that mean he’s being too subtle?

He groans again, louder this time, and buries his face in his hands.

Izumi Sena comes to a realization he’s been denying to believe for the past month.

He is absolutely smitten with the florist of the flower shop down the street of his modeling agency.

_\--- Ch 3 end ---_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really had fun writing their growing feelings of curiosity for each other in this chapter. And I always love whipped Izumi. Kudos and comments are highly appreciated! Thanks a bunch for reading! <3  
> Follow me on my Twitter! @midheavenn_


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very much having fun writing this. I can't help but always think of this AU, and I end up continuing it. Well, that's a good thing, I suppose. I do have the time as well, since I'm done with my midterms. Hopefully you guys are enjoying this fic as much as I am enjoying writing it! This chapter is far longer than usual, and I'm not too sure about Leo's and Ritsu's characterizations. So I apologize if any characters are OOC and for any grammar or spelling mistakes, since English is not my first language. Happy reading!

_\--- midheaven ---_

At the start of the month, Izumi refused to believe that he’s smitten with Anzu.

That doesn’t even make any sense. He barely knows her, and he met her earlier this week.

So why does his mind keep going back to her?

And why does his feet keep bringing him back to the flower shop once a week?

One day, his curiosity got the better of him and he decided to pay the shop a visit.

No Anzu in sight.

Instead, he sees a guy behind the counter, about his age, with a lazy looking face and sleepy crimson eyes. His raven hair was a stark contrast to his freakishly pale skin. He reminds Izumi of a vampire, with his appearance.

The guy raises his eyebrows, smiling a little and turned, “Anzu! A customer’s here!”

After the sound of some shuffling in the back of the shop, the girl Izumi came here to see walked out, looking a bit annoyed and exasperated at her coworker.

“Ritsu-kun, you can’t just call me every time there’s a customer, you have to handle them yourself.” she tells him tiredly.

Ritsu, now Izumi has a name to match the face to, simply shrugs and vaguely gestures at Izumi.

Anzu’s attention shifted from Ritsu onto Izumi, her eyes widening ever so slightly as she walked closer to him, dusting off her hands.

“It’s you, Sena-san. What can I help you with?”

Izumi quickly drinks in her appearance that day.

Her long brown hair was up in a ponytail, possibly because she was tidying up the back of the store and didn’t want her hair to get in her face, and the slight shine of sweat on her face didn’t go unnoticed by Izumi either. Although, he thinks it makes her glow even more.

Other than that, her appearance was pretty plain. She was wearing a cream-colored jumper, paired with a pair of blue jeans and white sneakers. She had the shop’s green apron tied around her waist, obeying the uniform rules.

And somehow, she managed to pull everything off nicely.

He didn’t answer for a second, which caused Anzu to ask him another question.

“Um, are you buying flowers for someone again?”

Izumi had to think fast for this one.

“My… mom actually asked me to get her a bouquet of flowers, since she found out that there’s a flower shop near my agency. So she asked me if I can drop by and get her some flowers.” he replies.

That was a complete lie. In fact, it’s been a couple months since he last saw his parents. They’ve been nagging for him to come visit again but he’s been far too busy to.

He silently apologizes to his mom for this.

Anzu’s expression brightened at that, and she puts her hands together.

“Really? Did she ask for anything in particular? Does she have a favorite flower?” she asks excitedly.

“Uh, she didn’t exactly request anything specific. And her favorite flowers are…”

He quickly glances around the shop, listing their meanings mentally.

_That means true love, no, too soon. Purity, no, that’s too vague. Beauty, something that symbolizes beauty…_

Izumi stops at a certain flower.

“Amaryllises. She likes amaryllises.”

_She likes tulips, but what Anzu doesn’t know won’t kill her._

Anzu turns to where the amaryllises are displayed, and nods as she picks them up.

As she gets the flowers ready, Anzu briefly looks at Izumi and asks, “I actually think amaryllises have quite an interesting meaning, Sena-san. Do you know what they mean?”

Izumi feels like he was answering a pop quiz with this one. He can’t be _too_ straightforward with their meaning, but he has to be careful not to seem like he was dumbing himself down for Anzu too.

“Because of their height and sturdiness compared to other winter blooms, don’t they mean strength and pride? Aren’t they usually given to someone after they achieved something?” he says.

That was easy to remember. He was always so fascinated by how tall and sturdy amaryllises are, and he finds them to be beautiful. He’d be lying if it wasn’t up there on his list of favorites as well.

Anzu laughs at his answer before nodding.

“You’re right. But other than that, you can also give them to someone you find incredibly beautiful, who you also value beyond their beauty. It has many beautiful meanings, doesn’t it?” she explains to him.

Izumi returns her smile with a small one of his own. “It does. I find flowers interesting because there are many different meanings and interpretations as well.”

Right, it’s not like he chose amaryllises because of the very meaning Anzu just told him about.

He pays for the flowers and thanks Anzu for her help.

She thanks him for his patronage and bids him goodbye.

Just as they did the last time he came by.

Izumi leaves, but he feels a tiny bit unsettled, since he noticed that Ritsu has been watching them quite closely all this time.

~

The next week, Izumi also came by the shop.

The amaryllises in his apartment are still fine, he’s confident that they will last another week or so, especially under his care.

He quickly checks if Ritsu is there.

It’s not like he’s worried or anything, he’d just rather have him _not_ watch his conversations with Anzu.

To his relief, Ritsu was nowhere to be found, and Anzu was alone.

“Anzu.” he calls out, trying to sound confident.

This past week, whenever he passes by the flower shop, sometimes he would make eye contact with Anzu, and they would say hi to each other.

Well, not _actually_ saying hi, but there are nods of acknowledgement and the occasional waves. He supposes he can call out to her like this whenever he stops by now.

Anzu looks up and smiles at him. “It’s you, Sena-san. What can I help you with?”

“The flowers I bought last week, my mom loved them, and she wants to buy more.” he tells her.

She looks visibly confused by his answer.

“Again? Did the flowers wither already?” she asks again.

Izumi was treading into dangerous territory now. “… Yes.” he hesitantly answered.

“Oh… that’s not good. Did she tell you anything about how they can wither so quickly? Flowers are supposed to last about two weeks, so I don’t know what can be causing it to wither this fast…”

Anzu sounded so disappointed, and now Izumi has to quickly cover up the mistake in his lie.

“It’s not your fault!” he says, panicking a little.

Izumi curses at himself, he sounded really aggressive.

“It’s not your fault or the flowers themselves, my mother hasn’t taken care of any flowers in a while, so she’s not that used to it.” he lies easily.

She didn’t say anything, so he continues, in an attempt to somewhat assure her.

“I’ll tell her how to take care of them better, I still remember what my grandma taught me. And Naru-kun says your flowers last a while, so it’s not on you.”

Anzu didn’t seem completely convinced, but she nods and lets the topic go.

“I see. I’m relieved, then. Does she want more amaryllises?”

Izumi can’t believe he just did that.

He runs a hand through his hair, his eyes darting from flower to flower.

“Uh, no. She wants me to get different ones this time.”

Izumi decides he probably shouldn’t get something that has a too specific meaning. He decides to go for a flower with a more well-known meaning.

He points at the bright, big flowers sitting on the outdoor flower display.

“I’ll get those sunflowers.” 

_Respect and adoration._

When he gets home, Izumi adds the sunflowers into his vase, the amaryllises from last week still inside of it.

Before he can be left alone with his thoughts for _too_ long, he hears a knock on his door.

“Sena~” a voice called out.

Izumi rolls his eyes, he knows that voice all too well.

When he opens the door, he is immediately welcomed with bright orange hair and youthful emerald irises.

The chaos takes human form that is Leo Tsukinaga makes his way into Izumi’s apartment.

The model sighs, looking annoyed as the composer jumps onto his couch and laughs loudly.

“What do you want, Leo-kun?” Izumi asks.

Leo frowns at his words. “I’m just dropping by to check on you, Sena. Or else, you’ll get so~ grumpy.”

That earned him another eyeroll from Izumi, but Leo didn’t seem fazed. He _has_ known Izumi since their high school days, after all.

The orange-haired male instantly noticed the flower arrangement sitting on a table against the wall.

“What’s this, Sena? You’ve never had flowers in your apartment before~” he points out.

Izumi clicked his tongue, shooting Leo an annoyed glare.

“So? Am I not allowed to have flowers in my apartment, Leo-kun?”

It didn’t take long for Leo to put two and two together.

Izumi was _awfully_ defensive about the flowers, and he’s a lot grumpier than he usually is. Seeing how Izumi is someone that gets annoyed easily, that’s saying something.

And it didn’t take long either for Izumi to know that Leo has noticed something. He has a bad feeling about this.

Leo looks back at Izumi, green eyes filled with playfulness as he asks Izumi the one question he dreaded the most.

“So, who’s the girl?”

Damn Leo and his sharp instincts.

~

Soon, it became a routine for Izumi to drop by the flower shop once a week.

And by the end of the month, he knows there’s no use denying his feelings for Anzu.

It was November, and Izumi walks to work with his hands inside the pockets of his puff jacket.

“Secchan, come over here for a second.”

He stops and turns to see Ritsu, gesturing for him to come into the shop.

Izumi does as he says, and walks into the open space.

“Secchan?” he asks, not exactly pleased with the nickname.

“Mhm, you seem like you’re going to be here a lot, so I might as well just call you Secchan, you know~”

Izumi made a face at that, which got Ritsu to laugh.

“So icy~ I suppose I should introduce myself first. I’m Ritsu Sakuma, Anzu’s one and only employee.” he says.

“Izumi Sena.”

Ritsu laughs again. “I know, Anzu and Nacchan told me about you.”

Izumi is getting more and more skeptical of him by the second.

“Hm. I see. Why did you call me in here, Sakuma? I have work in fifteen minutes, I’d rather not be late.”

“It’ll just be a minute, Secchan. Calm down~”

Ritsu rests his arms on the table, his gaze darkening as he looks at Izumi dead in the eyes.

“I just wanna ask, why are you coming in every week?”

Izumi narrows his eyes at the male standing in front of him.

“Why do you wanna know? Aren’t you happy you have someone coming in each week?”

Ritsu hums. “Hmm~ I suppose so~”

“It’s just that, for someone who knows so much about flowers, you sure are taking your sweet time telling your mom about how to take good care of flowers. And not to mention, the amaryllises _was_ a bit obvious.” he explains, looking bored with the conversation.

Izumi’s mind is reeling. He tries to think up an answer quickly, but comes up short.

“You don’t have to say anything, it’s painfully obvious.” Ritsu’s tone was easygoing, but his words were harsh to Izumi’s ears.

“Besides, no matter how you see it, there’s only one answer.” The raven haired male looks up at Izumi and smiles.

“ _No one_ buys that many flowers if they’re not in love with the florist.”

_\--- Ch 4 end ---_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having fun writing Izumi for this AU, it's a nice change from the Izumi I'm used to writing. And it's also fun introducing each of the Knights members one by one! Tsukasa will make an appearance in future chapters too, as well as a couple other characters. Kudos and comments are highly appreciated! Thanks a lot for reading! <3  
> Follow me on my Twitter! @midheavenn_


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been making it focus on Izumi more, and to be honest, I really don't know if they will have equal point of views, but for this chapter and the past one, it's definitely focusing on Izumi more. The next chapter might give Anzu the spotlight, who knows? We'll see. I'm not too sure about Tsukasa's characterization as well, I find him to be the hardest Knights member for me to write. His character doesn't come as naturally to me, so I apologize if he or any characters are OOC, and for any grammar or spelling mistakes, since English is not my first language. Happy reading!

_\--- midheavenn ---_

Izumi lets out an aggravated groan the second he gets home.

As he sits down on his couch, he caught a whiff of the barely noticeable scent of flowers sitting about a few feet away from him.

He shot the flowers his best glare, to the point where it seems like they almost withered under his piercing gaze.

A sigh left his lips as he runs a hand through his hair, not really caring that it would mess it up.

Countless thoughts are running through his mind at that moment.

Something about him wanting to punch Ritsu, regretting buying amaryllises, regretting buying from Anzu at all in the first place, wanting to punch Ritsu, being more subtle in his advances, coming into the shop less often, wanting to punch Ritsu…

Is he being _that_ obvious? Anzu never says anything about it, well, other than her occasionally bringing up the meaning of the flower that he intends her to pick up on.

That means she understands what he’s trying to say to her, right? If she mentions the meanings like that…

But the way she acts never seems to change too, does she not reciprocate his feelings? Maybe he was coming off too intense?

What if she just wants to tell him the meaning of those flowers without realizing that’s the reason he chose them in the first place? It certainly wouldn’t surprise him if she was that oblivious.

He sends the vase of flowers another dirty look.

~

“It’s been a while since I’ve last visited your place, Izumi-chan.” Arashi remarks, a contented expression on her face.

Izumi gave her a side look. “Why are you saying it like that? It’s not like anything changed.”

She lets out a quiet huff, shaking her head slightly at her friend’s words.

Because she’s sure the second she walks into the space, she will see a notable change in his apartment.

She’s there because a month ago Izumi has some work abroad, and he said he bought her some clothes he thought would suit her. She finally has the time to pick it up from his apartment, so here she is.

When the door swung open, she instantly noticed the said change she was thinking about.

And boy, how right she was.

Arashi didn’t waste any time in walking into the living room and approaching a particular table.

The glass vase was overflowing with flowers, the colors bright and vibrant compared to the neutral tones of Izumi’s living room.

“Did you get these from Anzu-chan, Izumi-chan?” she asks, trying to hold back a smile.

She finds it incredibly entertaining to see Izumi’s face contort from his usual cool expression into confusion, shock, panic, and at the end settling for annoyance in the span of two seconds.

Izumi clicks his tongue and looks away from her, finding the door of his apartment suddenly very interesting.

“Of course I did, who else would I get it from?” he replies, his voice wavering slightly.

Arashi turns to him, her usual bright smile on her face. “You’ve never had flowers in your apartment before, Izumi-chan. Do you like Anzu-chan’s flowers that much?”

Well, she knows it’s not the flowers he likes so much…

Izumi answers her a second too late for her to think of his answer as the truth.

“Her… flowers are good. They last long, and they’re beautiful. Not to mention she sells them for cheap as well. I thought that since we have a flower shop near the agency, I should probably buy flowers and decorate my place a bit.”

Arashi shakes her head at Izumi. “You’re a model and not an actor for a reason, Izumi-chan. You’re not very good at lying.” she teases.

Izumi opens his mouth to argue back, but before he can get a word in, a loud knock on the door interrupted them.

It’s not really a knock as much as it is a bang against the door.

“Sena~! Open up!”

Arashi sees Izumi roll his eyes before opening the door for a familiar figure.

“Ah! Naru’s here too!” Leo exclaims.

“It’s been a while since I last saw you, Leo-kun.” she greets with a smile.

“What are you doing here, Leo-kun? Came to check on me again so I don’t get “too grumpy”?” Izumi sarcastically asks, voice dripping with venom.

Arashi and Leo just looks at him, wondering if Izumi notices that right now he is being “too grumpy”, as if no one has come to check on him.

“You’re not that important, Sena~ I just came here because I was meeting with a _kouhai_ not far from here, I thought I should stop by.” Leo replies easily, not affected in the slightest by Izumi’s icy tone and glare.

Leo cocks his head to the side when he sees the vase.

Izumi follows his gaze and feels panic start rising inside of him.

“Woooww~ Is it just me~ or I feel like… you know~ there’s more flowers than last time~ I sure do wonder why~”

Izumi looks like he was about to commit amicide right then and there.

Leo’s words got Arashi’s attention immediately, as the girl turned towards at Izumi with a bewildered look on her face.

“ _More_ flowers than last time? Izumi-chan, have you been going to Anzu-chan’s shop a lot lately?” she asks.

Izumi didn’t answer, but thankfully for Arashi, her question is answered by a certain composer.

“He comes to her shop once a week, Naru.”

“Thank you, Leo-kun.”

“You didn’t have to tell her, Leo-kun.”

“She already knows anyway, Sena. There’s really no point.”

“I hate you both.”

~

Izumi does not like this. Not at all.

He didn’t even get a word in and before he knows it, he’s standing in front of a familiar storefront.

Anzu’s flower shop was a pretty sight to look at, the tall wooden frame of the shop painted a rich forest green, the rows of flowers on display at its front making the place look more colorful and full of life.

“Anzu-chan~! Ritsu-chan~!” Arashi calls, dragging Izumi along with her.

Instead of the two workers they’re familiar with, they see a new face standing behind the counter.

He was looking downwards, working on a half-finished flower arrangement, and looked up at the sound of Arashi’s voice.

His scarlet hair made it easy for him to stand out, with violet irises that carry so much youthfulness and innocence inside of them.

He was handsome, Izumi will give him that. More on the pretty and cute side rather than handsome, actually. But he was definitely easy on the eyes.

“W- Welcome! What kind of flowers are you looking for?” he starts, his tone unsure despite his loud voice.

“We’re actually looking for the owner of this shop, do you think you can call her for us… What’s your name?”

“I’m Tsukasa Suou.”

“We’re actually good friends of Anzu-chan’s, so you’ll be seeing a lot more of us.”

Izumi doesn’t like how she glanced at him while she said that last part.

“I’m Arashi Narukami, and this is Izumi-”

“I’m not a kid, Naru-kun. I can introduce myself.” Izumi interrupts quickly.

“I’m Izumi Sena, it’s nice to meet you.”

From the tone he said it in, it sure doesn’t sound like it’s nice at all.

For some reason, Arashi smiles at his answer, which makes him feel on edge.

Tsukasa visibly tenses up a bit more under Izumi’s cold gaze, so she steps in before Izumi scares the poor redhead even more.

“Right. We were wondering if you can call Anzu-chan for us?” she asks again.

“I’m afraid Anzu-san is currently busy, Narukami-san. And I wouldn’t want to interrupt her as she’s working. Are you looking for a certain type of flower?”

“Ah, not exactly-”

Izumi sighs, gaining the attention of both Tsukasa and Arashi.

“Naru-kun, if she’s busy, then we should just leave. We shouldn’t be a bother.” he tells her, crossing his arms.

A feminine voice rings out in the air.

“Suou-kun, are there customers?”

Izumi’s head turned to where the voice came from at such an alarming speed, he nearly turned back around again out of pure embarrassment it ever happened.

Anzu looks up, smiling at the sight of Izumi, before glancing at Arashi.

“ _Onee-chan,_ Sena-san. Looking for flowers?” she greets them.

Izumi didn’t answer, instead, the fleeting thought that Anzu reminded him of a white hoary stock crossed his mind.

There’s just something so pure about both the flower and Anzu herself, a kind of beauty not everyone is able to possess.

Izumi was able to smell the scent of the flowers themselves, it’s sweet and pleasant smell filling his nostrils.

For a smell so pleasant, it sure was intoxicating. Enchanting, addicting.

Like Anzu herself.

Izumi was so deep in thought that he didn’t notice Anzu caught him staring.

“Sena-san? What is it?”

He blinks, regaining his composure before shaking his head.

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.” he answers.

He continues to watch Anzu as Arashi talks to her, his eyes occasionally drifting to the flowers in the shop.

Izumi feels someone staring at him. Trusting that feeling, his eyes met with Tsukasa’s.

It didn’t escape his attention that Tsukasa had been staring at Anzu as well.

_\--- Ch 5 end ---_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's yet another update from me. I'm really having my fun writing this, I can't help but keep thinking up ideas on how I should continue it. Kudos and comments are highly appreciated! Thanks for reading! <3   
> Follow me on my Twitter! @midheavenn_


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back with another update and I actually don't really like this chapter...? I'm not sure what about it I don't like, but something about it just doesn't sit right with me. However, I asked a friend of mine (if you're reading this, you know who you are) to read it and she said it was fine and I should just publish it. So here I am. My apologies if this chapter isn't as good as the others. And as always, I apologize if any characters are OOC and for any grammar or spelling mistakes, since English is not my first language. Happy reading!

_\--- midheavenn ---_

“Anzu, what do you think of Secchan?”

The girl looks up from the red roses she was tending to, blinking at his question.

“Secchan? You mean Sena-san?” she asks back.

Ritsu nods before replying, “Mhm, didn’t you say you liked him?”

“I never said anything like that, Ritsu-kun…”

“So you don’t?”

“He’s just a customer that drops by every week, it would be weird if I liked him. And why are you asking me this, Ritsu-kun?”

Ritsu didn’t answer for a second, and Anzu’s attention is directed somewhere else when she sees two figures walk in.

“Good afternoon, Anzu-chan!” Arashi chirps brightly, her arm locked with another person.

“Good afternoon, _onee-chan._ ” she greets back, waving her hand.

Anzu’s eyes shifted to the person next to Arashi, who was looking around the shop with awe.

He was pretty handsome, if she’s being honest. He reminds her of Izumi, both having the ability to draw people in and put their attention on them.

The difference she instantly noticed is while Izumi is more calm and mature, this person standing in front of her gives off a more youthful and almost childish aura.

He had bright orange hair that went down to his shoulders, put in a small ponytail. His green eyes reminded her of leaves, full of boyish mischief and a silent promise of bringing fun wherever he goes.

Something clicks in her mind, although she can’t put her finger on it.

“Wow~ Everything’s so colorful and pretty~” he remarks, approaching one of the numerous buckets of flowers.

He was drawn to the pale pink azaleas, leaning closer so he can observe them more clearly.

He suddenly gasps and backs away, which raised Anzu’s concern for both him and the azaleas, but her worries disappeared when he said, “The inspiration! I can feel it in me!”

Arashi turns to Anzu while he hastily looks around the shop.

“Anzu-chan, do you have a pen and paper? It’s preferable if you have more than one sheet.”

Anzu dumbfoundedly handed her some paper and Arashi beckons the male over.

“Leo-kun, here’s a pen and some paper.”

Ah, so that’s what clicked in her mind. His name is Leo Tsukinaga, as in the very Leo she has heard Izumi tell her about.

Leo snatches the paper and pen and starts writing on the floor.

Anzu was impressed at the sheer speed he writes in, hands swiftly moving from one row to another, and before long, a page was completely filled with music notes.

Izumi _did_ say something about Leo being a prodigy at composing, it’s just that he’s a bit… _eccentric_.

“Nacchan, you didn’t bring Secchan today?” Ritsu asks lazily.

“He has work, Ritsu-chan. But I ran into Leo-kun on the way here and decided to bring him instead so he can meet you two.”

“He knows about us, _onee-chan?_ ” Anzu chimes in.

“He does, Iz- I mean, I told him about you two.” she tells them.

Ritsu’s eyes narrowed slightly at her answer, he has no doubt that she was about to say ‘Izumi-chan’ before she corrected herself.

Arashi meets his gaze, as if to confirm Ritsu’s suspicions.

“Wahahahaha! This is a masterpiece! Not even Mozart can create something like this!” Leo’s voice rang out in the shop.

Arashi sighs at him, a fond smile on her lips nonetheless. “Anzu-chan, Ritsu-chan, this is my good friend, Leo Tsukinaga. He’s a well known composer in the music industry.”

Leo gets up from where he was sitting on the floor, and stands across Anzu, putting his arms on the table as he looks at her.

“Are you the girl?” he asks her.

“I’m sorry?”

“The girl Sena has been talking about.”

Now, that answer _really_ confused her.

“He’s been talking about me?” she echoes.

Ritsu raises his eyebrows at her. “Eh~ Don’t tell me you didn’t know, Anzu.”

She turns to look at him and judging by her expression, she really did not know. “Didn’t know what, Ritsu-kun?”

The raven haired male was almost impressed, especially when Izumi was being painfully obvious about it.

“That Secchan likes you.”

~

Izumi felt a shiver go down his spine.

“Sena-kun, are you okay?” the photographer asked him, looking concerned.

Izumi regains his composure, shaking his head and bowing slightly at him.

“I’m fine, Fujiwara-san. Thank you for asking.” he replies.

With a nod, he left Izumi for their break.

Izumi opened the water bottle and took a long sip.

He has an awful gut feeling about something. And something tells him that either Ritsu or Leo, or even worse, somehow, _both_ of them are doing something he knows he won’t like when he finds out what it is.

And really, he has every right to feel on edge. Leo _did_ say something about wanting to meet Anzu earlier this week, and not to mention Ritsu telling Anzu about his feelings for her isn’t completely out of the picture.

Or worse, Ritsu tells Anzu about Izumi’s feelings, _and_ Leo meets her, which raises the chances of him being found out.

He groans quietly.

If that really is what’s happening, he hopes Arashi is with them, so she can stop the two before it gets _too_ out of hand.

He’d rather not lose his chances with Anzu because of his friends.

~

“Well, I _think_ he likes you, Anzu~” Ritsu corrected, after seeing Arashi shake her head.

Leo’s eyebrows furrowed at that, “But he does-”

“Leo-kun, why don’t you come here for a second, I need you to help me pick some flowers.” Arashi says, cutting him off and dragging him away before he can say anything more.

Ritsu eyes them, before continuing, “That’s why I asked you earlier, actually. So if you like him, then you should just go for it. I’m pretty sure he likes you too.”

“Oh.” was the only reply she can come up with.

That revelation made her feel weird. She doesn’t know what exactly it is she feels for Izumi.

Of course, he’s one of the customers she talks to quite often and they’re friends, she supposes.

Is her interest in him is just her wanting to get to know him better as friends?

She has found her mind drifting back to Izumi from time to time.

When she’s by herself in the shop, when she’s running errands, and lately, when she’s about to go to sleep, Izumi would appear in her thoughts.

She never thought about it too much, it was natural that she’d be attracted to someone so handsome.

Although the feeling she gets in her stomach when Izumi’s eyes meets hers does startle and confuse her.

_Does_ she like him? Is that why she’s always waiting for the one day of the week when he would come by? Is that why she feels her heartbeat pick up whenever she sees him pass the shop? Is that why she is so quick to point out the romantic undertones or meanings of flowers he buys?

“Ritsu-kun, are you sure about him liking me?” she finally says, after being silent.

Ritsu’s eyes widened slightly, looking taken aback by her question.

“I don’t know until I ask the guy for sure, but I’m pretty sure he does. Why, Anzu?”

She plays with her fingers for a second, looking down as she stays silent before finally answering Ritsu.

“Because I think I do too.”

_\--- Ch 6 end ---_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm sorry if this chapter was not as good as the others or it's more boring. This one is more dialogue centric and that's why it's a bit uneventful, hopefully I'll like the next chapter more. Kudos and comments are highly appreciated1 Thanks a lot for reading! ^-^   
> Follow me on my Twitter! @midheavenn_


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a little carried away with this chapter and ended up writing a lot more than I thought I would. :'v But all's good! I like this chapter, actually. The next few chapters will probably focus on Anzu's feelings more, since I need to develop them more. Hopefully you guys like this chapter! As always, I apologize if any characters are OOC, and for any grammar or spelling mistakes, since English is not my first language. Happy reading! <3

_\--- midheavenn ---_

Izumi eyes the flower shop from the glass doors of his modeling agency.

His agency was located on a street corner, and the shop is across the street, right on the street corner as well.

Numerous metal buckets were placed at the storefront, each one filled with colorful, fresh flowers that seem to just keep inviting people to come to the shop.

The door and window frames of the shop are painted a rich forest green, a stark contrast to the bright colors of the flowers decorating the front and inside of the shop.

Sunlight peeked into the shop from its many glass windows, making the shop look even warmer.

As pretty as the flowers are, Izumi knows it’s the shop owner that keeps him coming back.

As if on cue, Anzu pushes the door open, walking out of the shop with a fresh bundle of flowers tucked under one arm.

She goes down on one knee as she readies a bucket and puts the flowers she has inside, arranging it to make it look prettier and easier on the eyes.

He briefly notes that the flowers she had were yellow cosmoses, which is no surprise, since they are currently in season.

He doesn’t pay the flowers much mind, directing his attention back to Anzu.

Her hair is down today, silky brown locks going down her back. She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear, eyes narrowing slightly as she focuses on the flowers.

Anzu was dressed warmer today too. It was nearly November, so the air was getting colder, which explains the change of clothes.

Still, she was dressed fairly simple. A cream colored long sleeved turtleneck, tucked into a pair of black high-waist jeans, paired with brown leather boots. A silver necklace hangs around the collar of her turtleneck.

He wonders if he should come by today. The flowers he bought from her two weeks ago have already withered, and he was hoping he can change it out for something else.

But then again, he’s not exactly pleased with his conversation with Ritsu. And when he got back from work the other day, Arashi was acting a bit weird.

None of those are good signs.

After one last look at Anzu, Izumi tears his eyes away from her and goes inside his meeting room.

~

Izumi hasn’t come to the shop at _all_ this week.

She shouldn’t be worried, she has no reason to. He’s someone with his own life and he surely has things going on. Not to mention, lately, she’s been seeing him in a lot more shoots and ads. He was getting more popular, so it’s no surprise that he would be swamped with work.

But that small, selfish part of her wants him to give her a small portion of his time and come talk to her this week.

Anzu has been fiddling with her fingers, sighing multiple times, trying to calm herself down a bit.

Of course, that didn’t go unnoticed by one of her coworkers.

“Anzu-san, is there anything I can help you with?” Tsukasa asks her, eyebrows furrowing in worry.

She looks up at him, smiling softly as she shakes her head. “Don’t worry about it, Suou-kun. You’ve been plenty of help around the shop, you should take a break.”

Her words caused his cheeks to flare, but Tsukasa continues.

“If there is really something I can help with, Anzu-san, then please tell me. You are the owner of this shop and I understand if you’re too busy or too tired to do certain things.”

Anzu lets out a laugh at his answer, putting her hand to her lips, which caught Tsukasa off guard.

“No need to be so serious, Suou-kun. I may be the owner of this shop and technically your employer, but I want us to be friends. Me and Ritsu-kun are good friends, despite him being my employee. That goes for you as well, Suou-kun.” she tells him.

Anzu sighs quietly, a wistful look in her eyes as she looks out the shop.

“My brother has actually started talking to me less and less, which is weird, since we’ve always been close. In his high school years, we grew apart, but when we started talking again, he starts work and we’re both busy with our lives, so we don’t really get the chance to talk again.” she tells him.

Tsukasa nodded slowly at her words, not really knowing what to say.

“I think it was puberty affecting him when he stopped talking to you in high school. And now that he has work, it’s quite hard to find free time when your schedules are usually full and they clash.” he says.

Tsukasa gives her an earnest smile, his eyes full of steely determination.

“Then, you can consider me as your own brother, Anzu _onee-sama_.”

Anzu smiles at him and ruffles his hair affectionately.

“Thank you, Suou-kun. I appreciate it.”

Both of their heads whipped to the direction of the door when they hear the bell above it ring.

Anzu’s lips parted when she saw who it was and she quickly dusts off her clothes and left her spot behind the counter.

“Sena-san, it’s been a while.” she greets, smiling brightly at him as she hopes her voice sounds steady.

Izumi smiles at her as well, his smile far calmer compared to Anzu’s, but a genuine smile nonetheless.

“It’s good to see you too, Anzu.”

He eyes the scarlet haired male a few feet behind Anzu and gave him a nod of acknowledgement.

“You too, Suou.”

“Here to buy flowers as always, Sena-san?” she asks him, grabbing a hairtie and pulling her hair back to put it in a ponytail.

Izumi hums in affirmation.

“Hey, Anzu.” she hears him.

She turns to look at him, eyes widened and curious.

“Yes, Sena-san?”

Anzu feels her heartbeat quickening when she sees his eyes look straight at her.

“Can you choose the flowers for me this time?”

~

Alright, Izumi _will_ admit that he panicked when she saw Anzu and Tsukasa talking.

The moment he saw Anzu ruffle his hair, he practically sprinted to the door, recomposing himself for a second before pushing the door and walking in.

All he can do is just pray that Anzu, Tsukasa, or even worse, if he was around there somewhere, Ritsu, saw him nearly trip while he was on his way here.

And here he is, doing a last attempt of trying to figure out her feelings for him.

“Can you choose the flowers for me this time?”

Anzu didn’t say or do anything for a moment. It was so silent that you can hear a pin drop.

“Eh? Are you sure, Sena-san?”

He hopes Anzu will give him a flower that has an underlying meaning he can read into, and not just one she thinks he’ll like.

Izumi places faith in what Arashi told him earlier that day.

“Don’t worry so much about Anzu-chan, Izumi-chan. I have a feeling she’s not opposed to the idea of you and her being together.” she says.

Arashi pauses for a moment, before huffing and continuing, “Anzu-chan can be dense, but if you pull back a little, you’ll be able to read her feelings more easily.”

And here he is, pulling back. Izumi has a feeling Arashi is right.

Izumi nods, smiling at her in a kind manner.

“Don’t think about it too much, I trust you.”

~

“Don’t think about it too much, I trust you.”

Does he know that saying things like that will just make her think about it more?

Anzu nods and looks around her shop.

Her mind is reeling.

What would he like? What if he wants something she likes? What type of flowers does he like, anyway?

“Anzu, Suu-chan, I’m back~”

With a box in his hands, Ritsu walks in and smiles in amusement when he sees Anzu and Izumi.

“Oh, Secchan’s here. Hey, Secchan~ Here to buy yourself some flowers as a birthday present?” Ritsu asks.

Anzu’s heart stops for a second when she hears him say the word ‘birthday’.

Izumi didn’t look too pleased with Ritsu’s question as well.

“And why are _you_ mentioning my birthday, Kuma-kun?”

The raven haired male hands the box he had to Tsukasa, gesturing to the back part of the shop.

“It’s coming up, isn’t it? I remember Nacchan telling me something about her preparing something for your birthday.” he replies airily.

“And ‘Kuma-kun’? Are you warming up to me, Secchan?” Ritsu teases.

He knows the answer already, but he also knows that Izumi would rather die than say the truth.

As expected, Izumi clicks his tongue in annoyance. “As if. And yes, my birthday’s coming up, but I’m not here for that.”

Anzu reminds herself to text Arashi later and ask her about Izumi’s birthday. But for now, she has to pick some flowers for him.

“Are you fine with anything, Sena-san?” she asks all of a sudden.

Izumi turns away from Ritsu and looks at her. “Huh? Yeah, anything’s fine.”

Ritsu looks between the pair, putting two and two together.

He’ll give Izumi this one, that’s a pretty good way to get Anzu to admit her feelings a bit.

Anzu looks to Ritsu, and he nods slowly.

Right, she’s had this conversation with Ritsu before.

“For now, whenever you have the chance, try giving him flowers that can convey your feelings for him.” he had told her one evening.

Her eyes are drawn to a bundle of purple flowers.

“What about these pansies, Sena-san?” she asks, picking up the entire bucket and showing it to him.

She recalls the meaning of those purple pansies.

‘You occupy my thoughts.’ She wonders if that’s a little too forward.

Anzu swears she can hear Izumi slowly exhaling in relief.

“They’re beautiful. I’ll take them.”

She nods and tips her head at Ritsu, who smiled at her, approving her choice, she’s guessing.

“Ritsu-kun will ring you up.”

And as usual, she arranges it into a neat bouquet, before sidling up next to Izumi and handing him the bouquet.

She lingers at the spot next to him for a moment, before walking towards Ritsu and standing next to him instead.

Anzu smiles as she bids Izumi goodbye. That’ll be the only time she sees him this week.

“You did good, Anzu.” Ritsu remarks.

Anzu huffs and smiles, patting his shoulder.

“Thanks, Ritsu-kun.”

~

Izumi sighs in relief, running his fingers through his hair.

Of course, he had doubts about whether his interpretation of the pansies was right or not.

“You have nothing to worry about, Secchan.” Ritsu whispers as he rings Izumi up.

Izumi blinks. “Huh?”

“That’ll be 770¥.” he continues, smiling as if nothing had happened.

As much as he hates to admit it, he knows Ritsu’s probably right.

Izumi feels the corner of his lips tug up into a smile.

He wonders if Anzu knows she has occupied his thoughts for a long time before this.

­­ _\--- Ch 7 end ---_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I'm here, I should probably tell you that I made my IzuAn flower shop AU playlist public on my Spotify! If you're wondering, the link to my Spotify account is on my Twitter, might as well follow me while you're there. ;)   
> Kudos and comments are highly appreciated! Thanks a bunch for reading! <3  
> Follow me on my Twitter! @midheavenn_


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